
Failing in the Field
What We Can Learn When Field Research Goes Wrong
Princeton University Press
Published on 18. December 2018
Book
Paperback/Softback
176 pages
978-0-691-18313-8 (ISBN)
Description
A revealing look at the common causes of failures in randomized control experiments during field reseach-and how to avoid them
All across the social sciences, from development economics to political science, researchers are going into the field to collect data and learn about the world. Successful randomized controlled trials have brought about enormous gains, but less is learned when projects fail. In Failing in the Field, Dean Karlan and Jacob Appel examine the taboo subject of failure in field research so that researchers might avoid the same pitfalls in future work. Drawing on the experiences of top social scientists working in developing countries, this book describes five common categories of failures, reviews six case studies in detail, and concludes with reflections on best (and worst) practices for designing and running field projects, with an emphasis on randomized controlled trials. Failing in the Field is an invaluable "how-not-to" guide to conducting fieldwork and running randomized controlled trials in development settings.
All across the social sciences, from development economics to political science, researchers are going into the field to collect data and learn about the world. Successful randomized controlled trials have brought about enormous gains, but less is learned when projects fail. In Failing in the Field, Dean Karlan and Jacob Appel examine the taboo subject of failure in field research so that researchers might avoid the same pitfalls in future work. Drawing on the experiences of top social scientists working in developing countries, this book describes five common categories of failures, reviews six case studies in detail, and concludes with reflections on best (and worst) practices for designing and running field projects, with an emphasis on randomized controlled trials. Failing in the Field is an invaluable "how-not-to" guide to conducting fieldwork and running randomized controlled trials in development settings.
Reviews / Votes
"Using a rich set of examples, Failing in the Field describes failures that occur because the design or implementation of a research study does not yield data that can answer the questions it was intended to. By showing that mistakes in research design can be systematic, this book could benefit many students before they embark on their own studies. It was a pleasure to read."-Karla Hoff, World Bank "Highly recommended."-Karen Shook, Times Higher EducationMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
New Jersey
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
2 b/w illus.
Dimensions
Height: 208 mm
Width: 130 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
223 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-691-18313-8 (9780691183138)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
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E-Book
01/2017
1st Edition
Princeton University Press
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Persons
Dean Karlan is professor of economics and finance at Northwestern University and president of Innovations for Poverty Action. He is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship. Jacob Appel previously worked with Innovations for Poverty Action and now designs and runs field experiments with the Behavioural Insights Team.